Notes of spruce, cassava, and orchid.

Oolong tea from Taiwan・May 2017・蘭花香春茶・Unsprayed

This is the spring crop of our Lishan Orchid, named for the intense burst of orchid fragrance delivered by this tea’s finish.

We are including this tea in the collection because it stands above most Qing Xin variety oolongs in terms of aroma, complexity and texture. This tea's exceptional character comes from a combination of the tea plant's age, the tea garden’s location, and masterful craftsmanship.

Grown on Lishan, Taiwan at 2000m, it was hand-picked from 22 year old Qing Xin tea bushes with root structures that reach deep into the soil. This — and the cooler-climate high elevation growing region — produced leaves that are rich in polyphenols, the basic building blocks of flavor, texture and florality.

Craftsmanship style was likewise distinct, involving a high degree of active intervention by the tea maker. The leaves were bruised by hand on woven bamboo trays in small batches, and the maocha was gently baked for over a week. The final baking step is essential in concentrating its flavor and distilling the distinct spruce, cassava, and orchid notes of this tea.

Harvest and production of this tea began on May 4 and lasted a short week. The batch we purchased was picked on May 9 and completed the next day. We purchased 120 catties of this spring crop and had it shipped by air directly to us.

Brew: 6 grams・150 ml・203° F・2 min

This tea is easy to brew. We recommend not exceeding the recommended 203F — doing so will pull out more of the tea’s vegetal character and overwhelm its natural floral notes.